photo by Markies

Yes, it may sound strange, but we know there are some people who have never tried shopping online. This is in the face of numbers from the United States Census Bureau from 2008 indicating how e-commerce accounted for $93,280,000,000 of all total retail done in America, equating to around 2.5% of all major sales transactions. There are also figures from Nielsen that estimate that over 875 million shoppers worldwide go online, and that number is pegged to rise sharply in the future.

This rise in popularity is owed to the benefits that shopping online provides people with, especially those who are looking for very specific kinds of items or gifts. Yet there are still thousands who have not engaged in online shopping, and they have their reasons. Identity theft, money security and credit card fraud all come to mind when discussing the perils of buying online. This doesn’t include worries over shipping and product damage, or items that no longer suit their owners, such as clothes or shoes with sizes that don’t fit.

Never bought anything online? Here are a few points for people to remember:

‘Who’s That’ Is a Legitimate Question

There are lots of shopping websites, and they are often operated just like a normal store. However, a lot of shopping online gets done via auction sites, and the products put online are placed by users. The same goes for shopping bulletin boards on social media groups. You are often shown a description or a picture of the item, and you don’t always get a guarantee that it’s either the same exact thing or that it works properly.

Since you’re the buyer, try to make it known that he or she, the seller, has to be the one to establish trust. And make it a two-way street too: Take the time to get to know the person you are doing business with. Try to set up a phone call or a chat. If and only if you feel you can trust them, that’s when you can transact freely.

Shipping: Do They Tax? Do They Charge? How Fast?

Remember those three questions when paying for items online: Do they tax? Do they take credit cards? How fast? The most crucial answer to these questions is another question: “If yes, is it still worth it?”

Taxes come into play for some items, especially for imported goods. Some products, such as hard-to-find books, CDs or DVDs need to be shipped, and the buyers do need to pay certain tariffs. Whether it’s still worth it is up to the buyer, so if you’re buying, check costs. The same goes for shipping costs: if you have to shoulder the price, check if it’s too much. Do the same with the time it takes to deliver.

Credit Vs. Debit:

This is a common question asked on buying products online. The debate rages on whether to go with a credit card or with debit solutions. The easy answer: Go with what you’re comfortable with. Both credit and debit schemes have their own good points, so it comes down to what the buyer prefers.

Prepaid debit cards have the advantage of being more easily acquired by people who do not have credit to use. Debiting also means that buyers need not spend too much on interest every month. Meanwhile, credit cards may be more easily accepted by a wider range of shops, which is of critical importance when purchasing goods online. This should soon be a non-factor, though, as debit cards are becoming more and more prevalent.